Ensuring that the toilet seat is returned to the closed position after use of the toilet is a common problem. The widely used two-part toilet seat includes a seating ring and a cover, both hinged to the bowl. The seating ring, when in a closed position over the rim of the bowl, provides a comfortable seating surface for the user of the toilet. The cover, when in the closed position, covers the closed seating ring. Both the seating ring and the cover, or the cover alone, may swing upward from the closed position to an open position away from the rim of the bowl to rest against a stop, the stop often being on the front of the toilet tank.
It is usually desired that the seating ring and the cover be left in the closed position between uses of the toilet. The closed cover improves the aesthetic qualities of the toilet, limits access to the water in the bowl by, e.g., pets or small children, and prevents objects from inadvertently falling into the open bowl. Closing the cover after use of the toilet also ensures that the seating ring, which is positioned below the cover on the hinge, is in the closed position. This closing of the seating ring also prevents a subsequent unwary user from inadvertently sitting directly on the toilet rim or falling into the bowl.
Despite the advantages of closing the toilet seat after use of the toilet, remembering to close the seat is difficult, and reminders by others, typically are much after the fact. Direct censure of the forgetful users may, further, have the undesirable collateral effects of engendering embarrassment or hostility.